


Affection

by melancholy_and_chocolate



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, Cheerleader Theo, Jock Liam, M/M, So I gave them better, Theo is a Little Shit, They deserved better, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-07-20 22:40:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16147049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melancholy_and_chocolate/pseuds/melancholy_and_chocolate
Summary: High school au in which Liam is a jock who has a crush on a cheerleader by the name of Theo.





	Affection

**Author's Note:**

> things are dying down here but you know what'll never die down? the love these two boys who deserved a better ending have for each other.
> 
>  
> 
> wrote this while listening to affection by cigarettes after sex so i guess it's influenced by that. i recommend listening to the song while reading the end, it helps set the atmosphere.

 

From the sidelines Liam watched as Theo, alongside two others, hoisted a girl into the air. She lifted up her leg, straightening it fully and shouting a quick "Go Wolves!" before being sent up and spinning back down to be caught safely.

 

This was a normal occurrence. Liam found himself watching Theo more often than he cared to admit. It certainly didn't help that lacrosse and cheer practice happened at the same time.

 

Usually Liam didn't particularly care for cheerleaders. Most of them were assholes and Theo wasn't an exception.

 

Yet Liam's eyes were always drawn to the same boy with floppy brown hair, green eyes and panty-dropping smirk.

 

Originally, The Wolfpack, a name the cheer squad had earned for themselves throughout the years, consisted of strictly girls. But as time progressed, so did they.

 

There were currently five boys on the team, only two of which Liam knew. Theo Raeken and Corey Bryant. His best friend Mason started dating Corey a year ago and that was the start of Liam's crush on Theo.

 

Maybe part of the reason why Liam's gaze was so drawn to Theo during performances was because of how much he stood out. While many of the girls were small and petite, and the guys were more on the lean than buff side, Theo was ripped.

 

It made sense, in order to be able to lift so many different people, you'd have to be strong.

 

Liam leaned forward onto his knees, slightly nudging his helmet that was placed on the bench beside him, drawing his gaze all over Theo. From the strands of his hair to the laces of his white trainers.

 

It was safe to say that if heaven existed, Theo was definitely created there. There was no way someone could be that attractive by default.

 

Don't even get Liam started on his ass, because that had to be carved by the gods themselves.

 

"Stare any longer and you'll burn a hole through his back" Brett elbowed Liam's side.

 

"I wasn't staring!" Liam protested.

 

"You were creeping on Raeken again" the tall boy deadpanned.

 

"I was sightseeing" he defended himself. Brett snorted, not even dignifying the comment with a reply.

 

"You should just talk to him" Nolan piped up from the other side of Brett.

 

"And say what?"

 

"Introduce yourself, for starters" Brett chuckled.

 

"He knows my name" Liam rolled his eyes. They had a few classes together and had met briefly at parties.

 

"There's a party this Friday" Nolan suggested "Perfect time to try and spend time with him"

 

"Yeah, because all this pining from afar is starting to get depressing" Brett shook his head.

 

"Coming from the guy who couldn't even string together a proper sentence the first time he met Nolan" Liam snorted.

 

"He was really cute, okay?" Brett scowled.

 

" _Was?"_ Nolan raised an eyebrow.

 

" _Is_ , sweetheart, I meant is"

 

Liam tuned out again, glancing across the field. This time Theo was doing flips.

 

Liam was so far gone, and it hadn't even started yet.

 

*

 

*

 

"I'm gonna go talk to him" Liam declared, words slurring together as he crushed the beer can in his hand. He wondered how many he'd drank already before deciding he couldn't count that high.

 

"Maybe that's not the best idea" Corey put a hand on his shoulder.

 

"Why?" Liam frowned "Does he think I'm ugly?"

 

"No, far from it actually" Corey mumbled before continuing "I mean maybe it's not such a good idea because you're drunk"

 

"I am not drunk" Liam vigorously shook his head "I'm...tipsy"

 

"You're almost as wasted as Mason" Corey snorted, gesturing to his boyfriend who was currently sitting on the ground having a staring competition with the couch.

 

"Let him go, he won't be so uptight for once" Brett waved Corey off.

 

"Go for it, live your dreams buddy" Nolan solemnly said. There were two types of drunk Nolan's, Supportive Nolan and Conspiracy Theorist Nolan. Tonight seemed to be the former.

 

"It's settled then" Liam nodded "I'm gonna go talk to him and make him fall in love with me in the process"

 

"You go do that Casanova" Brett nodded, amusement clear on his face.

 

"You know we're terrible friends for letting him do this right?" Corey asked.

 

Brett shrugged. "I can live with that"

 

Liam promptly got up and walked across the room to where Theo was situated. Currently he was standing with a group of girls, who were chatting animatedly.

 

"Psst, over here" Liam not-so-subtly waved Theo over. Theo tilted his head before shrugging and making his way to a slightly swaying Liam.

 

"Hi Liam, I'm Theo" Liam stopped, furrowing his eyebrows. He frowned, "Wait, no, you're Theo and I'm Liam"

 

"Remembering your own name can be tricky" Theo chuckled in understanding, thoroughly amused.

 

"I just wanted to let you know that you're really hot" Liam blurted out. Theo's eyes widened.

 

"Like, you're insanely attractive" Liam added. Theo shook his head in amusement, the tips of his ears going red.

 

"I could say the same about you" he slyly replied

 

"Shit, I don't remember what to say when someone flirts back" Liam slumped his shoulders. Theo let out a laugh.

 

"Do you want to go upstairs with me?" he asked.

 

"Are you trying to seduce me?" Liam narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Theo spluttered.

 

"N-no! I meant we could go somewhere more quiet to talk" he explained, slightly mortified.

 

"Oh, okay" Liam nodded "Let's do that"

 

Theo led Liam out of the room and to the stairs. He pulled the shorter boy down the upstairs hallway, stopping in front of a door. He opened it, yanking Liam in behind him.

 

"We shouldn't be in someone else's room" Liam loudly whispered "That's a violation of their privates"

 

Theo laughed. "You mean an invasion of privacy?"

 

"Isn't that exactly what I said?" Liam tilted his head like a puppy, a troubled look adorning his face.

 

"Forget about it" Theo waved him off before adding, "This is my room anyway"

 

"I love what you've done with the place" Liam nodded, pointing to the part of the wall that held a Danny DeVito poster.

 

"My sister superglued it to the wall a couple years ago, if I rip it off then the paint'll come off with it and my parents will literally kill me" Theo explained, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

 

"You have a sister?" Liam asked. The fog in his mind was starting to clear, the deliriousness starting to lessen.

 

"Her name's Tara, she's a sophomore in college" Theo nodded "Do you have any siblings?"

 

"Nope, but I did used to have a hamster. His name was Stanley"

 

Theo sat on the edge of his bed, patting the space beside him. Liam clumsily sat down.

 

"On a scale of 1-10, how drunk are you? 10 being absolutely wasted" Theo asked,

 

Liam thought for a moment.

 

"I think I'm like a four now"

 

"Good, if you were over a five, then I wouldn't say what I'm about to say" Theo nodded.

 

"And that would be?" Liam trailed off.

 

"I like you Liam, a lot" he admitted, lips quirking up into a slight smile. Liam hadn't seen Theo smile much and in that moment he vowed to make that smile show up a lot more often.

 

"I like you too" Liam ducked his head down.

 

"Do you want to go on a date tomorrow?"

 

"Hell yeah I do!" Liam pumped his fist in the air before dropping it with a sheepish smile, "Sorry, still a little drunk"

 

Theo laughed, not that husky chuckle Liam was used to hearing, but a real laugh. The kind that came from deep in your stomach.

 

"You're something else Li" he shook his head slowly. Liam gave him a boyish grin.

 

"So are you"

 

Because Liam was falling and for some strange reason, he knew Theo would catch him.

 

*

 

*

 

"You actually scored a date with Theo Raeken?" Brett asked, eyes wide and jaw slightly agape.

 

It was the following morning, Mason was puking his guts out in the other room with Corey comforting him and Nolan was still asleep. Liam's head was pounding but he couldn't bring himself to care. Because he had a date with Theo Raeken.

 

"Yeah, he said he'd text me later today" Liam nodded.

 

"Damn Dunbar, I didn't think you had it in you" Brett said in disbelief.

 

"What can I say, I'm full of surprises" Liam grinned cheekily.

 

Nolan stirred, making Brett rush over to him, fully ready to help his boyfriend deal with then coming hangover. Liam also got up, planning to grab some food from the kitchen. They were at his house after all.

 

As he passed by the main washroom, he got a quick glimpse of Mason hunched over the toilet, hacking up a storm while Corey rubbed his back soothingly.

 

Liam's heart ached. He wanted that. Not the vomiting part, obviously, but he wanted someone who would take care of him. He wanted someone to care for. All he wanted was that special someone.

 

And he was praying that it would end up being Theo.

 

*

 

*

 

As Liam watched Mason's character kill Brett's and Nolan swearing to avenge him, he felt a vibration in his pocket.

 

He immediately pulled it out, eyes lighting up as he read the screen.

 

_Theo: pick you up at 6?_

 

"Guys!" Liam shouted, interrupting the game. Everyone froze and looked over, "Theo texted me"

 

"What did he say?" Mason excitedly asked.

 

"He asked if he could pick me up at 6"

 

"Did you tell him yes?" Brett raised an eyebrow. Liam immediately fumbled for his phone again, quickly texting Theo back with a yes, his address and a smiley face.

 

"Are you sure the smiley face wasn't too ambiguous?" Liam nibbled on his bottom lip.

 

"Considering that he just sent one back, no" Nolan pointed out. Liam bit his lip in an attempt to hold back a grin.

 

"Where do you think he's taking you?" Mason asked no one in particular.

 

"Dunno, where do douchebags tend to go on first dates?" Brett smirked.

 

"I'm not sure Brett, where did you take Nolan?" Liam shot back, making Brett's smirk drop instantly.

 

"Theo's not a douche, he's just been through a lot" Corey defended his teammate "You'll be good for him, he needs consistency"

 

"But if he hurts you I'll kill him" Mason promised. Everyone gave him a look.

 

"If he hurts you I'll get Brett to kill him while I stand a safe distance away, hiding behind Corey" Mason reluctantly amended with a huff.

 

"We've all got your back Liam" Corey translates what Mason failed to.

 

"Now go get dressed because there's no way you're getting lucky in that" Brett gestures to Liam's baggy white t-shirt and grey sweatpants.

 

"What he means is that you should probably freshen up" Nolan sends his boyfriend a look.

 

"No I said what I meant" Brett winced as Nolan elbowed him in the gut. For such a small guy, he had a mean elbow.

 

Liam went and took a shower before changing his clothes. Thankfully, Mason picked out his outfit and had laid it on his bed for Liam to throw on.

 

There were still a few hours until 6, so Liam and his friends watched a movie. Before long though, his door bell rung.

 

Liam eagerly got up off the couch to answer it before being yanked back down by Brett as Mason jumped up to let Theo in instead.

 

"What was that for? Liam whined, rubbing his shoulder that had hit the armrest fairly hard.

 

"Mason wants to give him 'the talk', let him" Brett looked amused at the thought.

 

"Mason wants to teach Theo about safe sex?" Liam tilted his head in confusion.

 

"No you idiot, the best friend talk" Brett rolled his eyes and smacked the back of Liam's head.

 

"Oh" Liam blinked "Corey how come I never got to give you the talk?"

 

"I didn't need it, you already knew me well enough"

 

"Oh" Liam repeated.

 

Mason swung the door open.

 

"You're not Liam" Theo frowned.

 

"No, but I am his best friend" Mason pulled Theo inside and slammed the door "Which means I have to set some ground rules"

 

"You sound like my dad" Liam pointed out. Theo immediately spun around, sighing in relief after seeing Liam.

 

"Well I did basically raise you"

 

"My parents would beg to differ"

 

"Point is, Theo, have a seat" Mason gestured to a chair. Theo cautiously sat down in it.

 

"Hey Theo, sorry about this, it probably won't take long" Liam sent him a sheepish smile.

 

"It's alright" Theo shrugged, sightly smiling.

 

"Firstly, I want Liam home by midnight" Mason pointedly looked at him.

 

"Not a problem"

 

"No funny business Raeken, keep your wandering hands to yourself" Mason continued.

 

"You got it"

 

"And most importantly, just treat him right, because Liam's an angel who deserves the world" Mason finished. Liam's lips quirked up at that. He really did have the best, best friend.

 

"Mason, I promise I'll take good care of him. Tonight means a lot to me" Theo held Mason's scrutinizing look.

 

Mason must've decided Theo was being honest because he sat back and smiled. "Have fun you two"

 

Liam jumped up and grabbed Theo's hand, pulling him up and dragging him to the door, desperate to leave before another one of his friends tried to interrogate his date.

 

After calling out a quick goodbye to the group, Liam followed Theo to his car.

 

"Your friends seem nice" Theo said as they buckled up.

 

"They mean well, they just have an odd way of showing they care" Liam chuckled.

 

"I like them" Theo smiled "They're nicer than my friends, all of my friends are assholes"

 

"Isn't Corey your friend?"

 

"Besides him, the rest are assholes"

 

"Who are your other friends?" Liam prodded as Theo turned left.

 

"Tracy, Josh, Stiles, Derek, Malia and Lydia"

 

Liam knew all of them. He couldn't help but agree with Theo's previous statement, they were kind of assholes.

 

But they seemed to treat Theo well and made him happy, and anyone who made Theo happy couldn't be that bad.

 

They made small talk the rest of the drive. Liam was curious as to where Theo was taking him.

 

His curiosity only increased when Theo drove into the preserve and pulled the truck to a stop. The two exited and Liam couldn't hold back from asking any longer.

 

"What're we doing?" 

 

"A picnic" Theo simply said, grabbing Liam's hand and walking deeper into the preserve.

 

Liam had to admit, he liked the sound of that. Picnics were romantic and it was sweet of Theo to come up with the idea.

 

Liam followed Theo as he led him down a path. When they passed a bridge that crossed a small body of water, Theo's pace remained the same but he spoke up for the first time since they'd started walking.

 

"One time my sister almost drowned here"

 

"Oh my god, how?" Liam's eyes widened, severely caught off guard because _who randomly brings that up?_ He supposed that Theo was the only person who would.

 

"She slipped and almost fell in but I grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the edge" Theo explained. He remembered the day like it was yesterday, but he didn't particularly like thinking about it. Something about Liam eased him though, made him feel safe about sharing it.

 

"I'm glad she's okay" Liam meant every word of it. Nobody deserved that, especially not Theo.

 

"Yeah, I, uh, I don't know what would've happened if she'd died"

 

Silence washed over them again. A calm, soothing silence.

 

Liam listened to the leaves crunching underneath their footsteps. _He was actually on a date with Theo Raeken._ How many people got to say that?

 

They approached another small clearing, this one containing a field of flowers. In the middle of it, there was a blanket with a basket on top of it. A couple steps away there were two girls.

 

"Malia, Tracy, you guys were supposed to be gone by now" Theo face palmed "It ruins the effect"

 

"Sorry, but it's hard to get away quickly when my leg's still fucked up" Malia snarked back, gesturing to her crutches.

 

"Damn, you drop a girl one time and suddenly you're the devil" Theo told Liam, rolling his eyes.

 

"You dropped me on purpose asshole!"

 

"Okay, so I'm not perfect, sue me" Theo shrugged.

 

"We'll leave you guys alone now, have fun on your date" Tracy interrupted, grabbing Malia's shoulder and shoving her forward.

 

"Nice score by the way, he's cute" Malia pointed to Liam "Definitely out of your league though"

 

"Uh, thanks?" Liam gave her a lopsided smile.

 

"Be nice to Theo, he's a lot more fragile than he seems" Tracy told him before starting to drag Malia away.

 

That wasn't the first time Liam had been told that Theo was a lot softer than you'd expect, and Liam was starting to realize that it was definitely true.

 

"Don't get pregnant" Malia helpfully called out.

 

"Not possible, dumbass" Theo retorted.

 

"With you Raeken, anything's possible"

 

Liam was starting to realize that was true as well.

 

*

 

*

If you'd have told Liam five months and a day ago that he'd be in a committed relationship with Theo Raeken, he would've laughed in your face.

 

But here he was, five months and a day later, in a committed relationship with Theo Raeken.

 

Liam found himself at another party, this one being held at Lydia's house. He watched in amusement as Mason and Corey somehow beat Stiles and Derek at beer bong.

 

"It's like you're blind or something" Stiles snarked as Derek threw the ball way off target.

 

"You're not doing any better" Derek huffed. With ease, Mason tosses another ball into one of their cups. Stiles groaned before chugging the contents of it down.

 

Liam was shocked at how good Mason and Corey were tonight, because normally they sucked. He guessed tonight was the night for anomalies.

 

"Having fun?" Theo plopped down beside Liam on the couch after he finished talking with Tracy and arguing with Malia. Liam noticed that the two rarely seemed to get along, but somehow they still worked as friends. It reminded him of himself and Brett.

 

"Yeah, you?" Liam took a small sip of his drink. He wanted to make sure there wasn't a repeat of last time. He was pretty sure he could still feel the hangover from Theo's party.

 

"Im with you, of course I'm having fun"

 

Liam wondered if he'd ever get used to that. The way Theo could be so damn cheesy, yet still make you blush like a schoolgirl.

 

"Shut up" Liam ducked his head. Theo chuckled.

 

"You guys!" Nolan exclaimed, once again allowing himself to get hammered.

 

It was obvious Nolan wanted the entire rooms attention, but unfortunately, Liam, Theo, Brett, Mason, Corey, Derek and Stiles were the only ones who acknowledged him.

 

"What is it this time, babe?"

 

"My mom always warned me about not giving into peer pressure, but in all my years of high school, no one ever tried to force me to drink alcohol" Nolan frowned.

 

"Maybe that's because we're not sociopaths?" Stiles tilted his head.

 

"So, maybe the entire time, she was warning me that I was the bad influence! I peer pressure myself into drinking" Nolan continued on as if he had came across an amazing discovery. It was obvious what type of drunk Nolan was tonight.

 

"That's exactly what she meant" Derek humoured him.

 

"Nolan, I think we should sign you up for AA meetings, this whole party was actually just an intervention" Theo egged him on.

 

"From now on, I'm committing to a life of sobriety" Nolan nodded.

 

"But Nol, you're drunk right now" Liam snorted.

 

"I've already relapsed" the freckled boy looked absolutely devastated.

 

"And I think that's our cue to leave" Brett chuckled, pulling Nolan with him.

 

"You wanna get out of here too?" Theo leaned over and whispered in Liam's ear.

 

Holding back a shiver, Liam nodded. "Sure"

 

After saying bye to their friends, the couple walked outside to Theo's truck.

 

"I'm really glad you came to my party that night" Theo spoke up "These past five months have been the best"

 

"I'm really glad you still asked me out after I embarrassed myself by getting drunk"

 

"I have low standards" Theo winced as Liam playfully elbowed him. The two got into the truck and as Theo pulled away from the curb, Liam turned up the radio. He recognized the song almost instantaneously.

 

Theo smiled, rolling down both their windows. The breeze felt nice whipping through Liam's hair. Theo reached over and grabbed Liam's hand, intertwining their fingers and squeezing slightly.

 

Liam started humming along with the song.

 

_It's affection always,_

_You're gonna see it someday_

_My attention's on you_

_Even if it's not what you need_

 

Theo glanced over, as if coming to a realization. He stared at Liam before breaking out into a grin.

 

"I love you"

 

Liam couldn't help but grin back. "I love you too"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> maybe one day I won't write an entirely fluffy story, but today is not that day


End file.
